


I Wasn't Sleeping

by McVetty



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-27
Updated: 2012-05-27
Packaged: 2017-11-06 03:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/413986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McVetty/pseuds/McVetty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Steve Rogers gets himself seriously injured, and Tony doesn't know what's going to happen, so he does what he always does. He talks.<br/>/Incredifluff</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Wasn't Sleeping

**Author's Note:**

> Written for hiddlesloki in place of the other thing she wanted.... yup

“Tony?”

“What, Steve?”

“Everything's going dark.”

Tony gripped Steve's shoulders tighter. Blood pooled around the wound in the super-soldier's chest. “You're going to be fine,” he said thickly.

Steve didn't respond. His eyes closed, his breathing evened out.

Tony shook him awake. “Hey! Don't fall asleep on me.”

“Sorry,” Steve mumbled.

Tony wished the Iron Man suit wasn't between himself and Steve. He wished this hadn't gone wrong. He wished that he could believe Steve Rogers was invincible, but the gaping hole in his chest was begging to differ. Tony slipped the Iron Man gauntlets off, patting Steve's face with his bare hands.

“Hey, Natasha's coming with the jet,” Tony said hopefully. “You don't want her to see you sleeping like a baby.”

“She's seen me sleeping before.”

_Not like this_ , Tony thought angrily. “Tasha, what's the status on that jet?”

“Hostile air space, Stark, I'm doing all I can,” Natasha replied, sounding just as strained.

Why had Tony  _insisted_ on this job? Fury said they could get someone else to do it. But Tony had stepped up and said,  _We'll take it._ Why would they take it? Why did he step up without consulting the rest of the team? Because these bastards had his weapons, the weapons he nearly died to sell, and the weapons he tried so desperately to wipe from his family name.

“Tony?”

“Yeah,” he sighed.

Steve didn't say anything right away, giving Tony's heart a run for its money. Finally, Steve sighed and curled closer to him, pressed against the scraped metal of the Iron Man suit. “Sorry for jumping in front of you.”

“You should be.”

“Guess the shield needs to be repaired.”

“I guess so.”

“Howard said there isn't any vi... viv... vibranium left,” Steve said, struggling with the word. 

“I'll find some for you, Cap.”

“You're a good man.”

Tony scoffed. “No I'm not.”

“Tony!” Natasha's voice screeched over the com. “Ten seconds, get ready!”

“Ready?” Tony asked, feeling bits of panic in his chest. “Ready for what? What are you doing?”

“Getting your ass out of here,” Natasha replied. 

“Yeah, I got that part, but  _how?_ ”

“Air lift.”

The roar of the jet overpowered anything else. Natasha held it steady as it moved over the pair of wounded Avengers, the hatch popping open and dropping a platform. Clint stood on the edge of it, perched dramatically with only one hand on the thin wire lowering him. He jumped to the ground, helping Tony lift Steve from the ground.

“He looks like shit,” Clint grunted, sliding him onto the platform.

“Tell me something I don't know.”

“Stressed is desserts spelled backwards,” Clint offered.

“Did not know that, but it explains a lot,” Tony said with a nod.

The pair mounted the platform and Natasha lifted it. Once they were in the hull, the jet sped off. 

“Hospital in six,” Natasha said, looking back at the trio. “Can you keep him stable?”

“I'll do what I can,” Tony answered.

  


 

Steve Rogers woke two days later. Tony dozed in the chair beside his hospital bed, his normally clean-clipped beard showing signs of growth. Steve reached out to touch Tony's arm, at which the man jolted awake.

“Hey,” Steve said.

“Oh, wow, how embarrassing,” Tony said gruffly, running a hand down his face. “Sleeping on my watch. The others wanted to know when you woke up, we've been sitting in on you for shifts. Um, Agent Coulson tried staying here the whole time but he was falling asleep pouring coffee so we uh, we sent him home. But he left you these,” Tony offered, pushing a tiny vase of flowers towards Steve.

Steve, overwhelmed by the information, stared at the flowers for a moment before laughing. But laughing hurt, so he stopped before he wanted to. “Did you pull the short straw today?” he asked.

“Something like that. I'll call in the others-”

“No, wait,” Steve said, struggling to sit up. He settled for propping himself on his elbows. “Listen, I want to thank you.”

“What? For what? I didn't do anything particularly, uh, heroic.”

“You stayed with me.”

“Anyone would have done that.”

“Well, I'm sure you think so, but that's not the truth.”

“Right,” Tony said, his cheeks turning a curious shade of red.

“It means a lot.”

“I'm sure,” Tony answered, looking uncomfortable.

“You know, I wasn't asleep the whole time.”

Tony only turned more red.

“You wouldn't know what to do without me? Dont die on you?” Steve said. “Anything I should know?”

“Not really. I was worried about you.”

“Its okay, Tony.”

“What is?”

“I know I'm old fashioned, but I still know how to love.”

“Oh...  _oh_ ,” Tony said with a gasp.

“No one has to know.”

“And you're fine with this?”

“Yes.”

Tony studied Steve's face, pausing as if considering everything. A tentative smile crossed his face, and he touched Steve's hand. “Good. That's good.”


End file.
